Chou farci

40m
Serves 1
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Directions

  1. 1Take your cabbage, remove the core, and separate the leaves, keeping them as whole as possible.
  2. 2Blanch the cabbage leaves in boiling water for a couple of minutes until they become malleable.
  3. 3Remove the leaves from the water and set them down on a tea towel to cool.
  4. 4Brown off the pork mince with some olive oil in a large pot.
  5. 5Remove the browned meat and replace it with your mirepoix of onion, carrot, and celery.
  6. 6Slice your garlic and add it to the pot about a minute after the mirepoix.
  7. 7Dice your mushrooms and add them to the pot once the other vegetables have softened.
  8. 8After a couple more minutes, return the meat to the pot.
  9. 9Season well with salt and pepper, a grating of nutmeg, and a teaspoon of allspice.
  10. 10Squeeze in 2 tablespoons of tomato paste.
  11. 11Stir in the tomato paste and then add in a cup of chicken stock.
  12. 12Cook this gently for about 5-10 minutes until the liquid has been cooked off.
  13. 13Transfer the meat mixture to a large bowl and allow it to cool down.
  14. 14Add eggs, breadcrumbs, and parsley to the cooled meat to complete the filling.
  15. 15Line a buttered tin with the blanched cabbage leaves.
  16. 16Add a third of the meat filling into the lined tin.
  17. 17Follow with a cabbage leaf.
  18. 18Repeat layering the meat and cabbage leaves until the case is full.
  19. 19Add a couple of knobs of butter on top to help it cook.
  20. 20Put the tin in the oven for 30 minutes.
  21. 21Take it out of the oven and remove the foil.
  22. 22Return to the oven for an extra 10 minutes.
  23. 23Leave your masterpiece on the window sill to cool a little before removing it from the tin.
  24. 24Serve up in front of all your guests, slicing like a cake.

Ingredients

  • 1 whole large cabbage
  • 1 kg pork mince
  • 1 large carrot
  • 1 onion
  • 2 celery sticks
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 150 g chestnut mushrooms
  • Thyme
  • 2 tablespoon Tomato paste
  • Nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon allspice
  • 250 ml chicken stock
  • Butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 75 g dried breadcrumbs
  • Parsley
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Olive oil

Equipment

buttered tinlarge potlarge bowl

Tips

  • To keep the leaves whole, blanch them in boiling water for a couple of minutes until malleable, but don't over-boil to retain color.
  • This recipe also works well when just stuffing individual leaves if you don't want to make it on a large scale.
  • Serve in front of guests, slicing like a cake.